Which Materials Can Be Used For Sandblasting Purposes?

Sandblaster, abrasive blasting, bead blasting or shot blasting is a process of cleaning the dirt or rust and other contaminants from any target surface by shooting abrasive materials with extensive pressure.

Two types of material can be categorized in sand blaster industry.

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·         Mostly used sandblaster material

Materials that are usually sand blasted by the companies are the items made from Glass, stone, metals, wood and plastics steel, brass, aluminum, pewter, silver, etc. All above mentioned items are sandblasted except diamond. It is because of its hard surface which is difficult to sand blast as the sandblaster media used by the companies cannot handle the pressure. Other Stones are sandblasted to create carvings on memorials or monuments pillars. Sandblaster of a metal is done dislocate the rust and sharp edges or as an adhesion of coatings and adhesives. Items made from Wood and brick are sandblasted to remove remains of paint, oil and dirt and to generate a neat surface which can be easily painted. Plastic materials can be sandblasted for decorative purposes. In this case the work has to done with much care since plastic is much delicate and needs to be handled carefully otherwise it will wear away.

·         Materials used as an abrasive in sandblaster.

These materials include silica sand, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide,Garnet, Glass Beads, Walnut Shells,and Plastic Pellets etc.

The process of sand blasting involves mixing a hard abrasive or media with air under high pressure and then allowing material to be gradually worn away by leading  the abrasive material  directly onto the surface of the material. The time taken by the abrasive stream depends upon the amount of material to be sand blasted. The abrasive stream is held in one location and the material is removed by pressure.Directing the nozzle part of the sand blasting setup nearer to the surface reduces the area being blasted, and enhances the chances of removal of sandblasted material. By locating the nozzle of the equipment farther distance, the area of sandblaster increases and the chances of removal of material minimizes. If the nozzle is directed nearer to the targeted material, a hole can be abraded through the surface very quickly.

The cost regarding the abrasive media or materials used to sandblast varies from material to material.

A customer will find Silica Sand as an abrasive which is available at a cheaper rate as low as $0.05/lb.

Aluminum Oxide is also another good option as it creates its impact 30-40times over Silica sand and has a static charge. It offers a moderate cost at $1.00/lb. It fractures the material into round shape.

Silicon Carbide is another option which lasts 40-50 times over silica sand. Silicon Carbide when used as an abrasive cost about $1.60/lb.

The advantage of using silicon carbide over Aluminum oxide is that  it fractures the material faster than Aluminum Oxide, hoses and nozzles can be applied quickly, has no static charge, and dismantles the object providing it a sharp edge as compared to Aluminum oxide.

What is an abrasive blaster set up?

Sandblasting is a term used to define the extensive act of forcing, the abrasive material at a high-speed to wipe off a surface. Silica sand was the most commonly used abrasive material, but since the lung disease silicosis is caused by extended inhalation of the dust created by sand, other materials are now used as an alternative. Other substitute available are  steel grit, copper slag, walnut shells, powdered abrasives, even bits of coconut shell.

The process of sandblasting is carefully monitored since there are threats of inhaling dust amidst the sand blasting process so it is carefully checked by using substitute air supply, protective wear for entire body including gloves and foot wear, and proper ventilation.

A sandblaster setup normally comprised of three integral parts.

1. The abrasive material,
2. An air compressor and
3. A blaster nozzle

For etching and cleaning especially the smaller items on a workstation, apiece of glass is also needed so as to grab these items.

Applications of sandblaster set up

Sandblaster has two applications.

• To clean a surface of any targeted material that is clinging to it. 
• Etching or carving patterns into a targeted material.

As a cleaning method, it is often used for cleansing a surface before the application of paint or a sealant. During a painting session, sand blasting avoids dust, dirt, or bubbles in a paint coat. This can be done by introducing tiny particles of abrasive at the surface at a high speed.
Sandblasting is also a wonderful experience in glass etching.It offers both hand -etching and laser etching .The former is time consuming and expensive, while the latter comes with few flaws.

Decoration of glass can be done by two methods.

• Etching
• carving

The glass etching method involves blasting of abrasive on it which is done to have a semi-opaque look. This is called 'whiting' or 'snowing' of the glass. It can be utilized to create effect to produce words or images.

The velocity of sandblaster and the angle from which the abrasive is being launched need to be adjusted accordingly. Several glass art works can be produced in this manner. Glass is carved by the process of sandblasting on the surface using a protective. This protective stencil prevents the carving going out of the stencil.

Using Sandblasting as a technique for carving has made different patterns of beautiful glass work in the market place.

The cost of sandblaster equipment depends a lot on the projects intended. Sandblaster set up differs in cost, depending on the scope of the projects needed to be completed. The larger the project, the higher is the cost. At a smaller scale, a small glass carving setup can be implemented at a much cheaper rate than the cabinet system. A system with a cabinet has the tendency to work upon large pieces of glass and if you want to add more peripherals to it then obviously, it will be much expensive just like a professional-level artistic sandblaster setup.

Types of sand blasting machines

Three types of commonly observed sand blasting machines are

•    Gravity-Fed Sandblaster

The gravity –Fed sandblaster is suitable for small scale work. The process include finely cleaning of ground silica sand then strip over  a surface, to remove  any remain of  rust, paint or other unwanted surface materials. This is an extensive high velocity process performed with the help of an air-powered pressure gun that targets the silica sand at high speed to get the desired result.
 All sandblasters use said pressurized gun. The process by which the sand is indulged to the gun varies with the type of sand blaster. The gravity-fed model comes with three basic parts an air compressor or pressurized air tank, a hand-held pressure gun with air hose and a hopper on top of the gun.

The hose links to the air tank and the hopper is incorporated with silica sand. Compressed air fires through the gun and the top of the gun gets open with the press on the trigger of the gun.

•    Pressure Blaster

Pressure blasters are the simplest sand blasting machines to operate however; are the most expensive.
Pressure blasters are manufactured for commercial organizations. They comprise of a large tank filledwith silica sand under high pressure. This sand blasting machine works on the principle of an aerosol .It is supplied with two handed modeled, sand blasting gun which is joined   to the port at the top of the sand filled tank via hose.The air and sand are expelled outat once together.Although no requirement of cleaning up and maintenancehowever; it is supported with few short comings. Onedrawback is that as there is no opening in the sand tank, the sand fire out cannot be gathered and reused .In this way a huge amount of sand is wasted .It also requires the tank to be purchased again once it is used in an operation which adds to the sand blasting cost.

•    Siphon Sandblaster

Siphon sandblasters are the handiest sand blasters and economical too since they are cost efficient out of all three types of sand blasters available.A siphon sandblaster is easy to clean and strip off large surfaces of rust, and other contaminant from the target surface. It comprise of three integral parts.
1.    ASandblasting gun with two separate hoses, one linking to the bottompart of the handle and the other connected the underside of the barrel.
2.    A normal pressurized tank or air compressor.
3.     It also has a reservoir filled with sand and appears like a large bucket or container .The hose of the gun is linked to the compressor, while the other hose is connected to the inner side of theseparate sand reservoir. As a result of trigger fire the air forces the sand to fetch from the reservoir above the hose and inside the gun to be fired out the barrel. The fired out sand l can be gathered and reutilized again for several times by placing in the reservoir.

Sand Blasting Cabinet

Two basic types of sand blasting equipment can be observed in the industries.  The blasting cabinet system is divided into tumble and the traditional blasting cabinet.

Tumble Blasters

The Tumble Blasters are cabinet systems that comprised of a revolving bucket supplied with a sandblast gun.  The examples are TB1 (Mini-Blaster) TB2, TB3, TB1412 and TB2424 tumbler blasters.

The latter two tumble blasters are to support high volume automatic tumble blasting of small parts.
All tumble blaster systems incorporate an automatic set clock , an air pressure regulator, an airline filter, a dust collector, one sandblast gun with carbide nozzle and one blow off gun to remove dust from parts. The systems work with aluminum oxide, white aluminum oxide, urea and other plastic abrasives, corn cob grit, walnut shell grit, glass beads, pumice, crushed glass grit, silicon carbide, steel grit and steel shot. Tumble blasting systems remove rust and scale, hard to reach burrs, generate bright or dull texture finishes and ensure the surface is ready for bonding. The procedure consists of loading the parts, setting the timer and, at the end of the cycle, unloading the parts by opening the lid.

Cabinet Blasters

Sand blasters can be operated to perform the tasks such as scaling and rust removal, frosting and surface preparation for coating.

Sandblasting cabinets can be found in three designs - standard, split-level and portable. The standard cabinets are supplied with different openings door on the side as well as in the front. The split-level style is centered; the half of the body provides access to the work and is suitable for handling heavy parts.

Portable Blasting Systems

Portable blasting systems can be found in two designs - pressure fed and siphon or gravity-fed. A portable pressure blast system can be used to remove residue of rust, paint, dirt, mold and other unwanted deposits of a number of surfaces. Abrasives can be forced to indulge into the deepest hidden areas of a surface by using a portable blasting system. The PPB Series of portable sandblasting equipment is suitable for body, paint and welding shops and for utilization in shaping of vehicles, turbines, boats, log homes, monuments, brick buildings and industrial supporting equipment.

Portable pressure blast systems (PPB Series and HDPPB Series Heavy-Duty Pressure Blasting Systems) are supplied with a bucket of different sizes to allow media to enter through a hose and out a nozzle. These systems are made for industrial applications but can also be accommodated at smaller scale for economical blasting applications. Siphon-type portable blasters are typically used for small, light-duty blasting applications. These systems are quite cheaper however; they don’t have much life.
Portable pressure blasters are available in many sizes and come with a movable tank easier for mobility. The size of the pressure pot and the nozzle of the equipment decide the length of extensive blasting available. Portable blasters provide an economical and quite practical sand blasting option for the users since they come with a remote control embedded feature.

Using Glass In Sandblaster

Sandblaster technique is widely used in the industries so as to recycle the old objects .Sand blasting companies use different abrasives in sandblaster to perform the required task. The work of an abrasive is not only to provide smoother edges but also refined the rougher surfaces .In older times, obsidian; a stone from volcanoes was used to perform the required task.Nowadays, it has been replaced by sand papers, grinding wheels, honing stone etc.

Abrasives can be categorized as natural for example diamond and manufactured for example silicon carbide .Abrasives can be blended with a binder. This binder could be clay, a resin or a glass. This article highlights the significance of glass as an alternative abrasive in sandblaster.

When using Glass as a Blasting Abrasive has been considered as a best alternative replacement for other sandblasting alternatives.

Glass as an alternative sandblaster media has its benefits which makes its use more significant in the sandblasting industry.  Recycled glass when they are used in a better planned way provides great deal of economic relief to the users over other abrasives

Glass as sandblaster abrasive proves much economical from screening stage to its final output. Glass sandblasting provides better cleaning rate than the silica sand under the same pressure .Also the consumption product in glass sandblasting is lower than that of silica sand.

Processed recycled glass has been sold as an abrasive blasting medium In the past, the most commonly used abrasive  blasting material was silica sand, as the name  “sandblasting’ emerged from the abrasive material used.  Other sandblaster media include garnet, coal slag, copper slag, nickel slag and steel grit, walnut shells and plastic beads etc.Hardness, shape, size, along with weight effects the abrasive media performance .In past silica sand was commonly used as a raw material used in the production of glass. The recycled glass contains comparatively less crystalline silica. It offers lesser health risk against the silica sand which is reported to have caused silicosis when inhaled. It occurs due to the presence of crystalline silica which gets mixed in the air and workers incorporated in sand blasting process get affected. The glass also provides a competitive market advantage against the silica sand. Glass beads are manufactured by recycled glass.  Glass beads are in continuous utilization in those tasks where refined surface finishing is required.

Recycled glass is a better alternative for silica sand and other blasting media in shipyard industry. Recycled glass can be used a number of times.

Glass offers its tendency to be utilized as a dry blasting media or with water for use .The increasing utilization of recycled glass in abrasive blasting require more awareness of its utility among people. When there is heavy surface to be wiped off and removed, coarser blasting abrasive is required.

Glass as sand blaster abrasive is now utilized in the following areas according to its scope and specification of project. Blasting shops, shipyards, aerospace maintenance facilities, and construction sites may benefited by using glass sandblasting.